Network-aware structured content downloads

ABSTRACT

A request for content is received at a content server via a first network connection from a client device. The content includes a set of portions represented within a root document. Based upon a download constraint of at least one portion of the content and a network characteristic of the first network connection, at least one portion of the content is deferred for download over a network connection other than the first network connection. The content is sent with each deferred portion of the content replaced with a content stub within the root document. Each content stub identifies the respective portion of the content as a deferred portion of the content and includes a content identifier of the respective deferred portion of the content.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to and claimsthe benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/032,122 titled“NETWORK-AWARE STRUCTURED CONTENT DOWNLOADS,” which was filed in theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 22, 2011, and which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to content downloads for mobile and otherdevices. More particularly, the present invention relates tonetwork-aware structured content downloads.

Computer networks allow computing devices to interconnect to servers toaccess and/or download content. Computer networks may provide one ormore of wired and wireless connectivity for computing devices. Computernetworks may also provide a variety communication protocols for use bycomputing devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method includes receiving, at a content server via a first networkconnection, a request for content from a client device, where thecontent comprises a plurality of portions represented within a rootdocument; determining to defer at least one portion of the content fordownload via a network connection other than the first networkconnection based upon a download constraint of the at least one portionof the content and a network characteristic of the first networkconnection; and sending the content with each of the at least oneportion of the content replaced with a content stub within the rootdocument, where each content stub identifies the respective portion ofthe content as a deferred portion of the content and comprises a contentidentifier of the respective deferred portion of the content.

An alternative method includes sending, via a client device, a requestfor content to a content server via a first network connection;receiving, from the content server, a root document comprising at leastone content stub, where each of the at least one content stub identifiesa respective portion of the content as a deferred portion of the contentand comprises a content identifier of the respective deferred portion ofthe content; detecting a network connection change to the content serverfrom the first network connection to a second network connection;determining to download at least one deferred portion of the content viathe second network connection based upon a configured downloadconstraint of the at least one deferred portion of the content and anetwork characteristic of the second network connection; and obtainingthe at least one deferred portion of the content identified by therespective content stub.

A system includes a communication module and a processor programmed toreceive, via the communication module over a first network connection, arequest for content from a client device, where the content comprises aplurality of portions represented within a root document; determine todefer at least one portion of the content for download via a networkconnection other than the first network connection based upon a downloadconstraint of the at least one portion of the content and a networkcharacteristic of the first network connection; and send the contentwith each of the at least one portion of the content replaced with acontent stub within the root document, where each content stubidentifies the respective portion of the content as a deferred portionof the content and comprises a content identifier of the respectivedeferred portion of the content.

A computer program product includes a computer readable storage mediumincluding a computer readable program code, where the computer readableprogram code when executed on a computer causes the computer to receive,via a first network connection, a request for content from a clientdevice, where the content comprises a plurality of portions representedwithin a root document; determine to defer at least one portion of thecontent for download via a network connection other than the firstnetwork connection based upon a download constraint of the at least oneportion of the content and a network characteristic of the first networkconnection; and send the content with each of the at least one portionof the content replaced with a content stub within the root document,where each content stub identifies the respective portion of the contentas a deferred portion of the content and comprises a content identifierof the respective deferred portion of the content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an implementation of a systemfor network-aware structured content downloads according to anembodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of an implementation of a coreprocessing module capable of performing automated network-awarestructured content downloads according to an embodiment of the presentsubject matter;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of a processfor server-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads according to an embodiment of the present subjectmatter;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of a processfor client-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads according to an embodiment of the present subjectmatter;

FIG. 5A is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of initialprocessing within a process for server-side processing for automatednetwork-aware structured content downloads according to an embodiment ofthe present subject matter;

FIG. 5B is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of additionalprocessing within a process for server-side processing for automatednetwork-aware structured content downloads according to an embodiment ofthe present subject matter;

FIG. 6A is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of initialprocessing within a process for client-side processing for automatednetwork-aware structured content downloads according to an embodiment ofthe present subject matter; and

FIG. 6B is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of additionalprocessing within a process for client-side processing for automatednetwork-aware structured content downloads according to an embodiment ofthe present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The examples set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustratethe best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the followingdescription in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilledin the art will understand the concepts of the invention and willrecognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressedherein. It should be understood that these concepts and applicationsfall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

The subject matter described herein provides network-aware structuredcontent downloads. The network-aware structured content downloadsdescribed herein provides an automated intelligent content downloadapproach that may be adapted to multiple network connections andcapabilities. Content server devices and client devices capable ofconnection to the content server devices via multiple networkconnections and/or networks at one or more locations each processdownload constraints associated with content downloads. Differentdownload constraints may be assigned to different portions of contentwithin the same content document (e.g., a “root” document). At thecontent server, download constraints associated with content requestsmay be evaluated against current network characteristics in response tocontent requests. Portions of the content may be deferred for laterdownload or contemporaneous download via a different network connectionwhere the network connection meets the content download constraints(e.g., if the download constraints exceed current network connectioncharacteristics). Deferred content is identified within the rootdocument by replacing content tags associated with the deferred contentwith content stubs. Each content stub identifies the respective portionof content as deferred content and includes a content identifier of thedeferred content. Content stubs may also include download constraints.

In response to receipt of the root document including any identifieddeferred content, the client device may search for a currentlyaccessible network (e.g., via one or more available network connections)that satisfies the download constraints and download the deferredcontent if such a currently accessible network connection is available.Alternatively, if a different network and/or network connection thatsatisfies the download constraints is not currently available, theclient device may configure automated download of the deferred contentin response to detection of and connection to a network connection thatsatisfies the download constraints for the deferred content. The clientdevice may also prompt a user with respect to download preferences forthe deferred content and may configure automated download in response todetection of user input of the download preferences. Additionally, thecontent server may also be configured for automated detection of theclient device to the server via a different network connection thatsatisfies the respective download constraints of deferred portions ofcontent and may initiate download of the deferred content portions tothe client device. As such, either or both of the client device and theserver device may be configured for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads and may coordinate download of deferred content as oneor more different networks and/or network connections that satisfydownload constraints of different portions of the root document becomeavailable.

The description below utilizes the terms “network,” “networkconnection,” and “connection” interchangeably for ease of description.These terms are not intended to be limited to either physical or evenprotocol-layer connections, such as a transmission controlprotocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP socket), but may also includeproperties of a logical network connection between two communicatingdevices. For example, if Device A is connected to Device B via a TCP/IPsocket, and the network speed available to that socket increases fromtwo hundred and fifty six kilobits per second (256 Kbits/sec) to twomegabits per second (2 Mbits/sec), then for the purpose of the presentsubject matter, the network connection may be considered to havechanged, though the protocol connection (and perhaps even the underlyingnetwork) may not have changed. As such, it is possible that a networkconnection, such as a TCP/IP socket, may remain in place in associationwith a given network, but that network characteristics (e.g., speed,security, etc.) as described in more detail below of the underlyingnetwork may change. A change in a network connection may further includea change to a different network connection via the same network withdifferent network characteristics, a change to a different networkconnection via a different network with different networkcharacteristics, or any other change of connection that providescommunication capabilities as described herein. Changes to theprotocol-layer connection or to the physical connection may result inchanges to the network connection as defined here, but changes tophysical or protocol connections are not required to be considered achange of “connection” that may be detected and processed as describedherein. Accordingly, the description herein is directed to such changesin network connection irrespective of use of the terms “network,”“network connection,” and “connection” in association with any givenexample.

A content request may include a request for a web page, a request foremail replication, or any other content request as appropriate for agiven implementation. A root document may include, for example, anextensible markup language (XML) document, an email document, an emailattachment, or other document that may include content portiondelineation and identification, and that may include taggingcapabilities for insertion of stubs.

As an example of use of multiple networks, a client device used by auser that is leaving work and walking to a train station maypass/handoff from a corporate wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) intranetconnection that is protected by a firewall to an external public orprivate wireless network. The corporate Wi-Fi intranet connection maylikely provide better security for most business content accesses anddownload constraints may be utilized to defer content downloads basedupon a security level of the respective current network connection.Alternatively, the client device may be used by the user while travelingon a train from work to home and may pass/handoff connectivity from afourth generation (4G) network to a third generation (3G) network, orpossibly to a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network provided by a publictransportation company, all while working on the same task. Certain ofthese networks may provide better download bandwidth and performance,and download constraints may be utilized to defer content downloadsbased upon a network speed of the respective current network connection.As such, download constraints may be leveraged to defer portions ofcontent for situations such as these or other situations as appropriatefor a given implementation. Many other examples of use of downloadconstraints for managing download of portions of content are possibleand all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

As described above, the deferred content is identified within the rootdocument by the content server replacing content tags within the rootdocument that are associated with the deferred content with contentstubs. Content stubs may be considered content fragments that replaceoriginal content fragments. For documents formatted with a markuplanguage such as XML, a content stub may be considered an XML fragment.

Replacement of content tags with a content stub may include, forexample, insertion of a different stub content tag pair and otherinformation as appropriate for a given implementation at a locationwithin the root document where the original content references werelocated. Some examples of a content stub/content stub pair may includetags such as “<stub> and </stub>,” “<deferred> and </deferred>,” orother references as appropriate for a given implementation. The contentstub may include a content pointer to the respective deferred portion ofthe content. Examples of a content pointer may include a link such as auniform resource locator (URL), a text attribute, or other contentpointer as appropriate for a given implementation. A text attributecontent pointer may identify the tag pair identifier that was replacedwith the content stub as text associated with a stub tag pair.Additionally, attributes may be generated in association with contentstubs that identify/define the download constraints for one or moredeferred portions of content within a root document. The client devicemay utilize the identified download constraints for automated processingfor retrieval of the content via one or more alternative networks,either in real time or as other networks become available.

Download constraints may be considered rules or policies thatidentify/determine when and under what conditions content or portions ofcontent may be downloaded. As such, download constraints providegranular control of download of portions of content. Downloadconstraints may include a variety of content characteristics asdescribed in more detail below and may be combined with one another toform compound download constraints. Any form of rule or policyindication may be used to identify download constraints in associationwith portions of content as appropriate for a given implementation. Forexample, download constraints may be identified using attributesassociated with content elements (e.g., data elements, links, etc.)within a root document such as a web page or email document/attachment.

Examples of download constraints that may be used to control download ofportions of content include a size of each portion of the content withina root document, a content type associated with each portion of content(e.g., MPEG4, MP3, etc.), a content source (e.g., all content from amanager/boss may be downloaded regardless of network connection speed,while content from a friend may be processed when network speed isappropriate for the particular content, etc.), a minimum networkdownload speed for download of the content, a minimum network downloadspeed for a type of content, and a minimum communication resourceutilization availability (e.g., processor usage, number of ports, etc.).Additional examples of download constraints include a securityclassification (e.g., security level) of each portion of the content, aminimum network security level for download of the content portion, anaccount download bandwidth limitation (e.g., where a periodic limit fordownload bandwidth is associated with a user account), an accountdownload cost limitation (e.g., where a cost is associated with downloadwithin a user account), and an account connectivity cost limitation(e.g., where an additional fee is charged for roaming or for contentdownload while roaming). Many other download constraints are possibleand all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

As another alternative, the client device may specify downloadconstraints within the content request to the content server. In such animplementation, where a download constraint such as an account downloadbandwidth limitation or an account download cost limitation exists for auser account of a client device, the client device may impose a downloadconstraint within one or more content download requests. For example,the client device may be configured to automatically manage contentdownloads by requesting only a portion of content for each message(e.g., request only “N” kilobytes or megabyte per message).Alternatively, the client device may be configured to monitor contentdownloads over a period of time, such as a billing cycle, anddynamically reduce download volume as a bandwidth or billing limitapproaches. Many other possibilities exist for client downloadconstraint management and all are considered within the scope of thepresent subject matter.

The network-aware structured content downloads described herein may beperformed in real time to allow prompt partitioned download ofstructured content. For purposes of the present description, real timeshall include any time frame of sufficiently short duration as toprovide reasonable response time for information processing acceptableto a user of the subject matter described. Additionally, the term “realtime” shall include what is commonly termed “near real time”—generallymeaning any time frame of sufficiently short duration as to providereasonable response time for on-demand information processing acceptableto a user of the subject matter described (e.g., within a portion of asecond or within a few seconds). These terms, while difficult toprecisely define are well understood by those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an implementation of a system100 for network-aware structured content downloads. A computing device102 communicates via a network 104 with a server 106. The network 104may include any form of interconnection suitable for the intendedpurpose, including a private or public network such as an intranet orthe Internet, respectively, direct inter-module interconnection,dial-up, wireless, or any other interconnection mechanism capable ofinterconnecting the respective devices. It is further noted that thenetwork 104 is shown as a single network for purposes of illustration,but that multiple networks may be utilized as appropriate for a givenimplementation. It is further understood that the computing device 102may communicate with multiple servers, such as the server 106. However,the single server 106 is described to reduce complexity of the presentdescription.

The computing device 102 may communicate with servers, such as theserver 106, via one or more of an access point_1108, an access point_2110, through an access point_N 112. Each of the access point_1108, theaccess point_2 110, through the access point_N 112 is associated with alocation 114, a location 116, through a location 118, respectively.

It is noted that the computing device 102 is shown with a solid-linerepresentation within the location 114 and that the computing device 102is shown with a dashed-line representation within each of the location116 and the location 118. As such, for purposes of the present example,it is assumed that the computing device 102 may be a portable/mobilecomputing device, either by a user's ability to move the computingdevice 102 to different locations, or by the computing device 102'sassociation with a portable platform, such as a plane, train,automobile, or other moving vehicle, and that the computing device 102may be moved between the locations 114 through 118. However, it shouldbe noted that while the present example illustrates each of the accesspoint_1108 through the access point_N 112 associated with a differentlocation, two or more of the access point_1108 through the accesspoint_N 112 may be accessible via the computing device 102 at a singlelocation without departure from the scope of the present subject matter.Accordingly, a computing device, such as the computing device 102, mayconnect to the server 106 via two or more access points at a singlelocation.

It should also be noted that both the server 106 and the computingdevice 102 may include any computing device capable of processinginformation as described above and in more detail below. For example,while not limiting, the server 106 may include a web server, emailserver, or other content server. Either the server 106 or the computingdevice 102 may include devices such as a personal computer (e.g.,desktop, laptop, etc.) or a handheld device (e.g., cellular telephone,personal digital assistant (PDA), email device, music recording orplayback device, etc.), or any other device capable of processinginformation as described above and in more detail below.

Each of the access point_1108 through the access point_N 112 may includeeither a wired or a wireless access point via which the computing device102 may access the server 106. Further, each of the access point_1 108through the access point_N 112 may represent a different type of networkconnection to the server 106. As such, each of the access point_1 108through the access point_N 112 may provide different connectivitycapabilities, such as speed, security, or other capabilities.

For purposes of the present example, it is assumed that the accesspoint_1 108 represents a wired secured firewalled network connection andthat the location 114 represents a work location. It is also assumedthat the access point_2 110 represents a fourth generation (4G) wirelessnetwork access point and that the location 116 represents a downtownmetropolitan location. It is further assumed that the access point_N 112represents a third generation (3G) wireless network access point andthat the location 118 represents a rural community location such as alocation proximate to a home of a user of the computing device 102.

As such, the user of the computing device 102 may travel between workand home and the computing device 102 may be connected to the server 106via the respective access points. Within the present example, the usermay take the computing device 102 from the wired secured firewallednetwork connection at work, access a relatively high-speed wirelessnetwork connection upon exiting the work facilities, and access arelatively lower-speed wireless network connection in proximity to home.Accordingly, each network access provided by the access point_1 108through the access point_N 112 may provide one of a different level ofsecurity and a different network access speed, or other capabilities.

As will be described in more detail below in association with FIG. 2through FIG. 6B, the computing device 102 provides automatednetwork-aware structured content downloads. The automated network-awarestructured content downloads is based upon detection of networkconnectivity and characteristics of a given network connection, coupledwith analysis of configured/defined download constraints for portions ofcontent, to control download of different portions of the same contentvia network connections that are appropriate based upon theconfigured/defined download constraints associated with differentportions of the content.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of an implementation of a coreprocessing module 200 capable of performing automated network-awarestructured content downloads. The core processing module 200 may beassociated with either the computing device 102 or the server 106, asappropriate for a given implementation. Further, the core processingmodule 200 may provided different and complementary processing ofdownload constraints based upon current network characteristics inassociation with each implementation, as described in more detail below.A central processing unit (CPU) 202 provides computer instructionexecution, computation, and other capabilities within the coreprocessing module 200. A display 204 provides visual information to auser of the core processing module 200 and an input device 206 providesinput capabilities for the user.

The display 204 may include any display device, such as a cathode raytube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED),projection, touchscreen, or other display element or panel. The inputdevice 206 may include a computer keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a pen, ajoystick, or any other type of input device by which the user mayinteract with and respond to information on the display 204.

It should be noted that the display 204 and the input device 206 areillustrated with a dashed-line representation within FIG. 2 to indicatethat they may be optional components for the core processing module 200for certain implementations, such as the server 106 that is accessibleand/or configured remotely. Accordingly, the core processing module 200may operate as a completely automated embedded device without directuser configurability or feedback. However, the core processing module200 may also provide user feedback and configurability via the display204 and the input device 206, respectively.

A communication module 208 provides interconnection capabilities thatallow the core processing module 200 to communicate with other moduleswithin the system 100, such as the server 106 when implemented inassociation with the computing device 102, and vice versa, to allowcommunication between the two devices via the network 104. Thecommunication module 208 may include any electrical, protocol, andprotocol conversion capabilities useable to provide the interconnectioncapabilities. Though the communication module 208 is illustrated as acomponent-level module for ease of illustration and descriptionpurposes, it should be noted that the communication module 208 mayinclude any hardware, programmed processor(s), and memory used to carryout the functions of the communication module 208 as described above andin more detail below. For example, the communication module 208 mayinclude additional controller circuitry in the form of applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), processors, antennas, and/ordiscrete integrated circuits and components for performing communicationand electrical control activities associated with the communicationmodule 208. Additionally, the communication module 208 may includeinterrupt-level, stack-level, and application-level modules asappropriate. Furthermore, the communication module 208 may include anymemory components used for storage, execution, and data processing forperforming processing activities associated with the communicationmodule 208. The communication module 208 may also form a portion ofother circuitry described without departure from the scope of thepresent subject matter.

A memory 210 includes a content storage area 212 that stores content foruse by the core processing module 200. For example, the content storagearea 212 may store content for download where the core processing module200 is associated with a server, such as the server 106. Alternatively,the content storage area 212 may store content that has been downloadedwhere the core processing module 200 is associated with a computingdevice, such as the computing device 102. The content storage area 212may also store download constraints as described above and in moredetail below that are associated with portions of stored content.

The memory 210 also includes a deferred content storage area 214. Thedeferred content storage area 214 may store identifiers of content thathas been deferred for later download. A content processing storage area216 stores characteristics associated with content that is eitheravailable for download via the server 106 or that has been downloaded tothe computing device 102. The content processing storage area 216 mayalso store configurations and automated content download profiles thatmay trigger download of deferred content in response to detection ofnetwork connectivity that satisfies any applicable download constraintsfor one or more portions of deferred content. Further, content stubsincluding deferred content identifiers, as described above and in moredetail below, may be stored within the content processing storage area216. Many other content storage options exist and all are consideredwithin the scope of the present subject matter.

It is understood that the memory 210 may include any combination ofvolatile and non-volatile memory suitable for the intended purpose,distributed or localized as appropriate, and may include other memorysegments not illustrated within the present example for ease ofillustration purposes. For example, the memory 210 may include a codestorage area, an operating system storage area, a code execution area,and a data area without departure from the scope of the present subjectmatter.

A network-aware download module 218 is also illustrated. Thenetwork-aware download module 218 provides automated management fordeferred downloads within the core processing module 200, as describedabove and in more detail below. The network-aware download module 218implements the automated network-aware structured content downloads ofthe core processing module 200.

Though the network-aware download module 218 is illustrated as acomponent-level module for ease of illustration and descriptionpurposes, it should be noted that the network-aware download module 218may include any hardware, programmed processor(s), and memory used tocarry out the functions of this module as described above and in moredetail below. For example, the network-aware download module 218 mayinclude additional controller circuitry in the form of applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), processors, and/or discreteintegrated circuits and components for performing communication andelectrical control activities associated with the respective devices.Additionally, the network-aware download module 218 may also includeinterrupt-level, stack-level, and application-level modules asappropriate. Furthermore, the network-aware download module 218 mayinclude any memory components used for storage, execution, and dataprocessing for performing processing activities associated with themodule.

It should also be noted that the network-aware download module 218 mayform a portion of other circuitry described without departure from thescope of the present subject matter. Further, the network-aware downloadmodule 218 may alternatively be implemented as an application storedwithin the memory 210. In such an implementation, the network-awaredownload module 218 may include instructions executed by the CPU 202 forperforming the functionality described herein. The CPU 202 may executethese instructions to provide the processing capabilities describedabove and in more detail below for the core processing module 200. Thenetwork-aware download module 218 may form a portion of an interruptservice routine (ISR), a portion of an operating system, a portion of abrowser application, or a portion of a separate application withoutdeparture from the scope of the present subject matter.

The CPU 202, the display 204, the input device 206, the communicationmodule 208, the memory 210, and the network-aware download module 218are interconnected via an interconnection 220. The interconnection 220may include a system bus, a network, or any other interconnectioncapable of providing the respective components with suitableinterconnection for the respective purpose.

While the core processing module 200 is illustrated with and has certaincomponents described, other modules and components may be associatedwith the core processing module 200 without departure from the scope ofthe present subject matter. Additionally, it should be noted that, whilethe core processing module 200 is described as a single device for easeof illustration purposes, the components within the core processingmodule 200 may be co-located or distributed and interconnected via anetwork without departure from the scope of the present subject matter.For a distributed arrangement, the display 204 and the input device 206may be located at a point of sale device, kiosk, or other location,while the CPU 202 and memory 210 may be located at a local or remoteserver. Many other possible arrangements for components of the coreprocessing module 200 are possible and all are considered within thescope of the present subject matter. Accordingly, the core processingmodule 200 may take many forms and may be associated with manyplatforms.

The following pseudo code examples represent certain possibilities forimplementation of network-aware structured content downloads. Thefollowing examples are presented in extensible markup language (XML)pseudo syntax for reference and are directed to certain content types.However, it is understood that any syntax may be used as appropriate fora given implementation and that other content types are available. Assuch, many other possibilities for implementation of network-awarestructured content downloads exist and all are considered within thescope of the present subject matter. Further, for purposes of thepresent description, the pseudo code examples represent content within asingle content file that may be considered a single “root” content file.

The first example pseudo code below illustrates one example of a body ofan original content file that may be stored on a server, such as theserver 106. The content within the body of the original content fileincludes three sections or portions, as described in more detail belowfollowing the first example pseudo code.

<Body> <!-- Static Content that may not be affected by network orsecurity conditions --> <person_list>  <resident>   <name>David</name> </resident> </person_list> <!-- Large File section of movies andpictures --> <titles>  <movie>   <file=“video.mpg” />  </movie> <picture>   <file=“face.jpg”/>  </picture> </titles> <!-- SensitiveInformation designated for distribution via a secure channel --><salary>  <resident>   <name>David</name>   <income>750000</income>  <taxbracket>35</taxbracket>  </resident> </salary> . . . </Body>

As can be seen from the first example pseudo code above, three portionsof content are identified by comments for ease of description. The firstportion of the content is indicated to include static content that maynot be affected by network or security conditions. This static contentincludes an attribute that includes a text value associated with a“name” tag pair. The second portion of the content is indicated toinclude large file section, such as movies and pictures. The large filesection includes file identifiers of the form “file” that are used toreference individual files within the content. These file identifierstrigger download of the respective files in response to attempts byclient devices, such as the computing device 102, to render the secondportion of the content. The third portion of the content is indicated toinclude sensitive information designated for distribution via a securechannel. This sensitive information includes attributes that includetext values associated with a “name” tag pair, an “income” tag pair, anda “tax bracket” tag pair. Processing of each of these portions of thebody of the file represented by the first example pseudo code above maydiffer based upon current network connectivity of the computing device102 to the server 106.

For purposes of the present example, it is assumed that the clientdevice 102 requested the content file that includes the first examplepseudo code above via an unsecure connection and that the unsecureconnection is a lower bandwidth connection, such as a 3G connectionrather than a faster 4G connection. As such, the present example alignswith the access point_N 112 that represents a third generation (3G)without network security features or speed capabilities of the accesspoint_1108 and the access point_2 110, respectively. It is furtherassumed that server 106 is configured to automatically defersecure/sensitive content associated with requests over unsecureconnections and to automatically defer larger content associated withrequests over lower-bandwidth connections. For purposes of the presentexample, it is further assumed that the server 106 may be configured toautomatically defer the respective portions by either analysis of thecomment block associated with each content portion (e.g., by use of thecomment text “Static Content,” “Large file,” and “SensitiveInformation”), respectively, or by analysis of the file identifiers ortag pairs (e.g., “file,” “income,” “taxbracket”), respectively.

The second example pseudo code below illustrates one example of a bodyof the original content file that may be downloaded to the computingdevice 102 in response to a request for the content file via theunsecure lower-bandwidth connection. The content within the body of theoriginal content file again includes the three sections or portionsdescribed above in association with the first example pseudo code.However, certain portions of the original content have been replacedwith content stubs, as described above and in more detail belowfollowing the first example pseudo code.

<Body> <!-- Static Content not affected by network or securityconditions --> <person_list>  <resident>   <name>David</name> </resident> </person_list> <!-- Large File section of movies andpictures --> <titles>  <movie>   <stub>    <deferfile=“video.mpg”/>  </stub>  </movie>  <picture>   <stub>    <deferfile=“face.jpg”/>  </stub>  </picture> </titles> <!-- Sensitive Information requiringsecure channel --> <salary>  <resident>   <name>David</name>   <stub>   <securecontent>    <tag=“income”/>    </securecontent>   </stub>  <stub>    <securecontent>    <tag=“taxbracket”/>    </securecontent>  </stub>  </resident> </salary> . . . </Body>

As can be seen from the second example pseudo code above, the staticcontent has been distributed by the server 106 without deferral inresponse to the request from the computing device 102. However, the filelinks represented as file identifiers within the original “Large File”section of the content of the first example pseudo code above have beenreplaced with a stub.

The stub is illustrated within the second example pseudo code as a“stub” tag pair inserted into the location within the original contentwhere the file identifiers were originally located. The stub furtherincludes a “deferfile” file identifier that includes the original filename for each respective large file within the “Large File” section ofthe original content.

In response to receipt of this content with the inserted stub for the“Large File” section, the computing device 102 may identify the contentas deferred content via the “stub” tag pair and via the “deferfile” fileidentifier. The computing device 102 may perform processing as describedin more detail below in response to detection of such a stub toautomatically identify the current network connection, within thepresent example a 3G connection, and may determine that a networkconnection faster than a 3G connection is requested by the server 106for download of this portion of content. The computing device 102 mayconfigure download of the deferred content in response to connectivityvia a network with characteristics that exceed the current 3G networkconnection and may automatically request the deferred content using thefilename identified within the “deferfile” file identifier. It isunderstood that request of this deferred content may be performed viaany suitable file request protocol, such as a hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) GET message, a file transfer protocol (FTP) filedownload, or any other processing as appropriate for a givenimplementation.

Further referring again to the second example pseudo code above, it isnoted that the “Sensitive Information” section of the content alsoincludes content stubs. As described above, it is assumed that the 3Gnetwork connection via which the computing device 102 requested thecontent is an unsecure connection and that the server 106 is configuredto defer any such content requests received and detected via such aconnection.

As such, the second example pseudo code above includes a content “stub”tag pair that encapsulates each of the “income” attribute and the“taxbracket” attribute from the original content shown within the firstexample pseudo code above. It is further noted that an additional tagpair “securecontent” encapsulates the original tag name “income” and“taxbracket” within the respective content stubs.

In response to receipt of this content with the inserted stubs for the“Sensitive Information” section, the computing device 102 may identifythe respective content portions as deferred content via the “stub” tagpair and may further determine download constraints via the“securecontent” file identifier. The computing device 102 may performprocessing as described in more detail below in response to detection ofeach such stub to identify each respective content portion as securecontent. It is understood that, though not depicted within the presentexample, the “securecontent” tag pair may further be augmented toinclude a security level required for download of the content.

The computing device 102 may also be configured to automaticallyidentify the current network connection as unsecure and may identify alevel of security associated with the current network connection, withinthe present example a 3G connection that is unsecure. The computingdevice 102 may configure download of the deferred content in response toconnectivity via a network with security characteristics that meet aconfigured “securecontent” rating or with security characteristics thatexceed the security level of the current network connection, asappropriate for a given implementation, and may automatically requestthe deferred content using the attributes “income” and “taxbracket”associated with the respective “tag” identifiers within the insertedcontent stubs in response to detection of such a network connection.Alternatively, where the “securecontent” tag pair is augmented toinclude a security level required for download of the content, thecomputing device 102 may configure automated download of the deferredcontent portions in response to detection of a network connectionassociated with the designated security level. It is understood thatrequest of these deferred content portions may be performed via anysuitable file request protocol, such as an HTTP GET message, an FTP filedownload, or any other processing as appropriate for a givenimplementation.

It should be noted that while the second example pseudo code above showsspecific forms of content identifiers associated with the content stubs,other content identifiers are possible. For example, uniform resourcelocators (URLs) may be used in place of the content identifiers shownabove to allow a computing device, such as the computing device 102, todirectly provide for link selection by a user for the respectivedeferred content. Many other possibilities exist for deferred contentidentification and all are considered within the scope of the presentsubject matter. Further, for purposes of the present subject matter, anyform of content identifier may be considered a “content pointer” useableto request deferred content portions.

The following third example pseudo code illustrates one possiblemodification of the second example pseudo code to provide URLs ascontent identifiers within the Large File section. Other portions of thesecond example pseudo code are omitted for brevity.

<Body> . . . <!-- Large File section of movies and pictures --> <titles><movie> <file=“http://www.domain.com/images/video.mpg” /> </movie><picture> <file=“http://www.domain.com/images/face.jpg”/> </picture></titles> . . . </Body>

As can be seen from the third example pseudo code above, a URL“http://www.domain.com/images/video.mpg” provides a link to the“video.mpg” file and a URL http://www.domain.com/images/face.jpgprovides a link to the “face.jpg” file. The client device 102 mayautomatically use the respective links to retrieve the respective filesin response to detection of a network connection that satisfies downloadconstraints (e.g., network speed). The client device 102 mayalternatively display an indication/prompt to a user via the display 204with the one or more of the links as hypertext links and may obtain therespective file in response to a detected selection of one of thehypertext links via the input device 206.

As such, the example pseudo code sections above show that a serverdevice, such as the server 106, may defer content for later download inresponse to determinations of download constraints. Such a server devicemay replace the deferred content with inserted content stubs atlocations within the content file associated with the original contentthat has been deferred. Such a server device may also identify andcommunicate the download characteristics to a requesting client device,such as the computing device 102. The respective client device mayautomatically configure download of deferred content based upon analysisof a current network connection and/or based upon specific indicationsof download constraints in association with content stubs. Many otherpossibilities exist for communication of content stubs that identifydeferred content portions and download constraints, and for eitheridentification of download constraints or automated determination ofdownload constraints in response to receipt of content stubs andconfiguration of automated retrieval of deferred content portions.Accordingly, all such possibilities are considered within the scope ofthe present subject matter.

FIG. 3 through FIG. 6B below describe example processes that may beexecuted by devices, such as the core processing module 200, to performthe automated network-aware structured content downloads associated withthe present subject matter. Many other variations on the exampleprocesses are possible and all are considered within the scope of thepresent subject matter. The example processes may be performed bymodules, such as the network-aware download module 218 and/or executedby the CPU 202, associated with such devices. It should be noted thattime out procedures and other error control procedures are notillustrated within the example processes described below for ease ofillustration purposes. However, it is understood that all suchprocedures are considered to be within the scope of the present subjectmatter.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of a process300 for server-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads. At block 302, the process 300 receives, at a contentserver via a first network connection, a request for content from aclient device, where the content comprises a plurality of portionsrepresented within a root document. At block 304, the process 300determines to defer at least one portion of the content for download viaa network connection other than the first network connection based upona download constraint of the at least one portion of the content and anetwork characteristic of the first network connection. At block 306,the process 300 sends the content with each of the at least one portionof the content replaced with a content stub within the root document,where each content stub identifies the respective portion of the contentas a deferred portion of the content and comprises a content identifierof the respective deferred portion of the content.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example of an implementation of a process400 for client-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads. At block 402, the process 400 sends, via a clientdevice, a request for content to a content server via a first networkconnection. At block 404, the process 400 receives, from the contentserver, a root document comprising at least one content stub, where eachof the at least one content stub identifies a respective portion of thecontent as a deferred portion of the content and comprises a contentidentifier of the respective deferred portion of the content. At block406, the process 400 detects a network connection change to the contentserver from the first network connection to a second network connection.At block 408, the process 400 determines to download at least onedeferred portion of the content via the second network connection basedupon a configured download constraint of the at least one deferredportion of the content and a network characteristic of the secondnetwork connection. At block 410, the process 400 obtains the at leastone deferred portion of the content identified by the respective contentstub.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a flow chart of an example of an implementationof process 500 for server-side processing for automated network-awarestructured content downloads. FIG. 5A illustrates initial processingwithin the process 500. It should be understood that the processingdescribed in association with the process 500 may include branches thatmay be processed concurrently via different branch threads asappropriate for each content portion. At decision point 502, the process500 determines whether a content request has been received/detected. Acontent request may be received, for example, from a client device suchas the computing device 102. The content request may further includeeither an initial request for a root document or may include a requestfor a deferred portion of content associated with a root document of aprevious content request. It should further be noted that the process500 may automatically detect changes of network connections with clientdevices from an initial network connection from which content downloadwas deferred to a second or subsequent network connection. In such asituation, the process 500 may automatically trigger a content requestevent that initiates processing for the process 500 to determine whetherany deferred portions of content for one or more client devices may bedownloaded via the second or subsequent network connection.

In response to determining at decision point 502 that a content requesthas been received, the process 500 makes a determination at decisionpoint 504 as to whether the content request is an initial request forcontent associated with a root document or is a request for a portion ofcontent deferred from a previous content request. Processing associatedwith deferred content requests for portions of content will be describedin more detail below following a description of initial requestprocessing for a root document content request.

As such, in response to determining that the content request is aninitial content request, the process 500 determines one or more downloadconstraints for each portion of content of the root document at block506. As described above, the download constraints may includeconstraints related to network speed, network security, request source(e.g. from a person with certain security clearance), or otherconstraints as described in more detail above. Other examples ofdownload constraints include a size of each portion of the content, acontent type, a content source, a minimum network download speed, aminimum network download speed for a type of content, a minimumcommunication resource utilization availability, a securityclassification of each portion of the content, a minimum networksecurity level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and an accountdownload cost limitation.

At block 508, the process 500 determines one or more current networkcharacteristics of a network via which the content request was received.As also described above, the network characteristics may include networkspeed, and/or network security. Additionally, other characteristics suchas a request source may also be determined.

At block 510, the process 500 compares the download constraints(s) withthe current network characteristic(s). At decision point 512, theprocess 500 makes a determination as to whether to defer any portion ofthe root document for download via a different network that satisfiesany download constraints of any portions of the root document. Such adetermination may include a determination that a download constraintidentifies a network download characteristic greater than the networkcharacteristic of the current network. For example, the downloadconstraint may indicate that a network of certain network speedcharacteristics be used to download a given portion and the currentnetwork may have lower-speed capabilities than indicated by the downloadconstraint. Alternatively, the download constraint may indicate that asecure network be used to download a given portion and the currentnetwork may be an unsecure network. Many other possibilities exist fordetermining that a network download characteristic is greater than aparticular network characteristic of a current network and all areconsidered within the scope of the present subject matter.

In response to determining that all download constraints are satisfiedby the current network characteristics (e.g., not to defer any portionof the root document) at decision point 512, the process 500 sends theoriginal root content document to the requesting device at block 514 andreturns to decision point 502 to await another content request.

In response to determining at decision point 512 to defer at least oneportion of content associated with the root document (e.g., all downloadconstraints are not satisfied by the current network characteristics),the process 500 creates a content stub as a content fragment for eachportion of content determined to be deferred at block 516. Each contentstub may include an extensible markup language (XML) fragment where theroot document is an XML document. Many other possibilities exist forcontent stub creation based upon a particular type of root contentdocument and all are considered within the scope of the present subjectmatter.

At block 518, the process 500 creates a content identifier of therespective deferred portion of the content within the content stub. Thecontent identifier may include a reference to the particular portion ofdeferred content, such as a file name of a particular file or a URL thatpoints to the respective deferred content portion. As such, each contentstub identifies the respective portion of the content as a deferredportion, such as via a “stub” tag pair and the “deferfile” identifiersdescribed within the pseudo code examples above. Many otherpossibilities exist for identifying content portions as deferred contentportions and all are considered within the scope of the present subjectmatter.

At decision point 520, the process 500 makes a determination as towhether to add one or more download constraints to the content stub. Adownload constraint may be added, such as via a “securecontent” tag pairdescribed within the pseudo code examples above. Many otherpossibilities exist for adding download constraints to content stubs andall are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

In response to determining at decision point 520 to add one or moredownload constraints to one or more content stubs, the process 500 addsthe respective download constraints to the respective content fragmentat block 522. In response to determining not to add one or more downloadconstraints to one or more content stubs at decision point 520 or inresponse to completion of adding the download constraints at block 522,the process 500 replaces the original content portion within the rootdocument by copying the content fragment into a content location withinthe root document at block 524. At block 526, the process 500 sends theroot document with each content stub that replaces each respectiveportion of the content to the requesting client device via the currentnetwork. The process 500 returns to decision point 502 and iterates asdescribed above.

Returning to the description of decision point 504, in response todetermining that the content request is a request for a portion ofcontent deferred from a previous content request, again initiated eithervia a client device or by automated detection of a network connectionchange with a client device and internal content request eventgeneration, the process 500 transitions to the processing shown anddescribed in association with FIG. 5B.

FIG. 5B illustrates additional processing associated with the process500 for server-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads. At block 528, the process 500 retrieves downloadconstraints for any deferred content portion(s). At block 530, theprocess 500 determines one or more current network characteristics ofthe network via which the content request for the deferred content wasreceived or for which the network change was automatically detected. Atblock 532, the process 500 compares the download constraints(s) with thecurrent network characteristic(s).

At decision point 534, the process 500 makes a determination as towhether the download constraint(s) are satisfied by the current networkcharacteristics. For example, the process 500 may determine whether oneor more network characteristics of the new current network are at leastequivalent to the relevant respective download constraint(s) of one ormore deferred portions of the content.

In response to determining that the download constraint(s) are satisfiedby the current network characteristics, the process 500 sends thedeferred content portion(s) to the client device at block 536. Inresponse to determining that the download constraint(s) are notsatisfied by the current network connection, the process 500 notifiesthe client device that the download constraint(s) are not satisfied atblock 538. In response to either sending the deferred content portionsof the root document associated with the original content request to theclient device at block 536, or upon notifying the client device that oneor more download constraints are not satisfied by the current networkconnection at block 538, the process 500 transitions back to theprocessing described in association with FIG. 5A at decision point 502and iterates as described above.

As such, the process 500 provides initial content request processing.Download constraints of individual portions of content are compared torelevant network characteristics for each individual portion of thecontent. Content stubs are created that both identify respectiveportions of a root content document as deferred content portions andinclude a content identifier of the respective deferred portion of thecontent. Download constraints may also be added to the content stub tocommunicate download constraints to the requesting client device. Theprocess 500 also provides deferred content download processing inresponse to both client device requests for deferred content portionsand in response to automated network change detection. Many otherpossibilities exist for server-side processing of content requests andfor content portion deferral and all are considered within the scope ofthe present subject matter.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a flow chart of an example of an implementationof process 600 for client-side processing for automated network-awarestructured content downloads. FIG. 6A illustrates initial processingwithin the process 600. It should be understood that the processingdescribed in association with the process 600 may include branches thatmay be processed concurrently via different branch threads asappropriate for each content portion. At decision point 602, the process600 begins higher-level processing by making a determination as towhether a content request has been detected/received. The contentrequest may, for example, be detected in response to user input toaccess a root content document via a browser or other application. Inresponse to determining that an initial content request has beendetected, the process 600 sends a request for the content to a contentserver via a current network connection at block 604. At decision point606, the process makes a determination as to whether a response from theserver has been received.

In response to determining that a response from the server has beenreceived, the process 600 makes a determination at decision point 608 asto whether any content associated with a requested root content documenthas been deferred by the server. Content may be deferred by receivingfrom the content server a root document including at least one contentstub. Each content stub identifies the respective portion of the contentas a deferred portion of the content and includes a content identifierof the respective deferred portion of the content. Download constraintsmay also be included within content stubs. A content stub may include anextensible markup language (XML) fragment that replaces each identifieddeferred portion of the content within the root document, or other formof content stub as appropriate for a given implementation. As describedabove, a server may replace portions of content within a root documentwith a content stub that identifies the respective portion(s) asdeferred content and that includes a content identifier. As alsodescribed above, content may be deferred by a content server based upondownload constraints of portions of content within a root documentcompared to current network characteristics, such as speed, security,and other network characteristics, a content source, or othercharacteristics.

In response to determining that no content has been deferred, theprocess 600 renders all content received at block 610 and returns todecision point 602 and iterates as described above and in more detailbelow. In response to determining that at least one portion of thecontent of the root document has been deferred, the process 600 rendersthe received content received at block 612.

At decision point 614, the process 600 makes a determination as towhether one or more download constraint(s) were received within acontent stub that identifies the respective deferred content. Inresponse to determining that one or more download constraint(s) werereceived within a content stub, the process 600 configures deferreddownload of the respective portion(s) of content via the receiveddownload constraints at block 616 and returns to decision point 602 anditerates as described above and in more detail below.

In response to determining at decision point 614 that one or moredownload constraint(s) were not received within a content stub, theprocess 600 determines a deferred content characteristic of eachdeferred portion of content at block 618. A deferred contentcharacteristic may include determining a content type (e.g., staticcontent, large file, sensitive information, etc.). At block 620, theprocess 600 evaluates current network characteristics, such as networkspeed, security level, and other network characteristics. At block 622,the process 600 identifies one or more download constraints for eachdeferred portion of content. For example, the process 600 may determinea network download characteristic that is greater than a networkcharacteristic of the current network based upon the determined contentcharacteristic(s) and may identify the download constraint(s) as networkcharacteristics that exceed the current network characteristics. Atblock 624, the process 600 configures the download constraint for eachdeferred portion of the content as the identified/determined networkdownload characteristic(s), and returns to decision point 602 anditerates as described above and in more detail below.

Returning to the description of decision point 602, in response todetermining that an initial content request has not been detected, theprocess 600 makes a determination at decision point 626 as to whetherany deferred content is being monitored or tracked for download via anetwork other than an initial network associated with an initial contentrequest. In response to determining that no portion of deferred contentis being monitored or tracked for download, the process 600 returns todecision point 602 and iterates as described above and in more detailbelow.

In response to determining at decision point 626 that at least oneportion of deferred content is being monitored or tracked for downloadvia a network other than an initial network associated with an initialcontent request, the process 600 transitions to the processing shown anddescribed in association with FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6B illustrates additional processing associated with the process600 for client-side processing for automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads. At decision point 628, the process 600 makes adetermination as to whether a network change has been detected relativeto the initial network associated with an initial content request. Inresponse to determining that no network change has been detected, theprocess 600 returns to the processing described in association with FIG.6A at block 602 and iterates as described above.

In response to determining that a network change has been detected atdecision point 628, the process 600 retrieves one or more configureddownload constraints for download of the respective deferred contentportion(s) at block 630. At block 632, the process 600 determinescurrent network characteristic(s). At block 634, the process 600compares the download constraint(s) associated with any deferred contentportions with the current network characteristic(s).

At decision point 636, the process 600 makes a determination as towhether the configured download constraint(s) are satisfied by thecurrent network characteristics. For example, the process 600 maydetermine whether one or more network characteristics of the new currentnetwork are at least equivalent to the relevant respective configureddownload constraint(s) of one or more deferred portions of the content.In response to determining that the configured download constraint(s)are not satisfied by the current network characteristic(s), the process600 returns to the processing described in association with FIG. 6A atblock 602 and iterates as described above.

In response to determining that the configured download constraint(s)are satisfied by the current network characteristic(s) at decision point636, the process 600 requests any deferred content portion(s) withconfigured download constraint(s) that are satisfied by the currentnetwork characteristic(s) from the respective content server at block638. At decision point 640, the process 600 makes a determination as towhether a response from the respective content server has been received.

In response to receipt of a response from the content server, theprocess 600 makes a determination at decision point 642 as to whetherthe requested portion(s) of the content have been received. In responseto determining that one or more of the requested portion(s) of thedeferred content have not been received, the process 600 documents/logsa deferred content portion retrieval failure for each retrieval failureat block 644 and returns to the processing described in association withFIG. 6A at block 602 and iterates as described above.

In response to determining at decision point 642 that one or more of therequested portion(s) of the deferred content have been received, theprocess 600 prompts a user, such as via the display device 204, with anotification of any received deferred content portion(s) at block 646.At decision point 648, the process 600 makes a determination as towhether a request to render the received deferred content portion(s) hasbeen detected, such as via the input device 206. In response todetermining that a request to render the received deferred contentportion(s) has been detected, the process 600 renders the receiveddeferred content portion(s) at block 650. In response to determiningthat a request to render the received deferred content portion(s) hasnot been detected, the process 600 stores the received deferred contentportion(s) at block 652, such as within the deferred content storagearea 214 of the memory 210. In response to either rendering the receiveddeferred content portion(s) at block 650, or in response to storing thereceived deferred content portion(s) at block 652, the process 600returns to the processing described in association with FIG. 6A at block602 and iterates as described above.

As such, the process 600 processes initial content requests for rootdocuments and configures download constraints for any content identifiedas deferred via content stubs within a root document received from aserver. The process 600 may configure the download constraints byanalysis of current network characteristics relative to contentcharacteristics of the deferred content portions, or may configure thedownload constraints based upon download constraints provided within acontent stub associated with the deferred content portions. The process600 monitors/tracks deferred content portions and automatically detectsnetwork connection changes, and initiates download of deferred contentportions where the configured download constraints are satisfied by thenew current network connection. Many other possibilities exist forclient-side processing of content requests and for content portiondeferral processing and all are considered within the scope of thepresent subject matter.

As described above in association with FIG. 1 through FIG. 6B, theexample systems and processes provide automated network-aware structuredcontent downloads. Many other variations and additional activitiesassociated with automated network-aware structured content downloads arepossible and all are considered within the scope of the present subjectmatter.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, upon consideration of the aboveteachings, that certain of the above examples are based upon use of aprogrammed processor, such as the CPU 202. However, the invention is notlimited to such example embodiments, since other embodiments could beimplemented using hardware component equivalents such as special purposehardware and/or dedicated processors. Similarly, general purposecomputers, microprocessor based computers, micro-controllers, opticalcomputers, analog computers, dedicated processors, application specificcircuits and/or dedicated hard wired logic may be used to constructalternative equivalent embodiments.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, amagnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium maybe any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention have been described with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablestorage medium produce an article of manufacture including instructionswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectlyto memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can includelocal memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulkstorage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards,displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system eitherdirectly or through intervening I/O controllers.

Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the dataprocessing system to become coupled to other data processing systems orremote printers or storage devices through intervening private or publicnetworks. Modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards are just a few of thecurrently available types of network adapters.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, at a contentserver via a first network connection, a request for content from aclient device, where the content comprises a plurality of portionsrepresented within a root document and individual portions of thecontent within the root document are configurable with assigned downloadconstraints that specify network characteristics under which theindividual portions of the content are downloadable; determining todefer at least one portion of the content for download via a networkconnection other than the first network connection based upon a networkcharacteristic of the first network connection not satisfying aconfigured download constraint assigned to the at least one portion ofthe content, comprising: comparing the configured download constraintassigned the at least one portion of the content to the networkcharacteristic of the first network connection; and determining that theconfigured download constraint identifies a network downloadcharacteristic greater than the network characteristic of the firstnetwork connection; and sending the root document with each deferredportion of the content replaced with a content stub within the rootdocument, where the content stub comprises an extensible markup language(XML) fragment and further comprising copying the XML fragment into alocation of the deferred portion of the content within the rootdocument; where each content stub identifies the respective deferredportion of the content as a deferred content portion and comprises adeferred content portion identifier of the respective deferred contentportion; and where at least one content stub further comprises theconfigured download constraint of the respective deferred portion of thecontent.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving arequest for at least one deferred portion of the content from the clientdevice via a second network connection; determining that a networkcharacteristic of the second network connection is at least equivalentto the configured download constraint assigned to the at least onedeferred portion of the content; and sending the at least one deferredportion of the content to the client device via the second networkconnection.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting achange of network connection with the client device from the firstnetwork connection to a second network connection; determining that anetwork characteristic of the second network connection is at leastequivalent to the configured download constraint assigned to the atleast one deferred portion of the content; and sending the at least onedeferred portion of the content to the client device via the secondnetwork connection.
 4. The method of claim 1, where the configureddownload constraint comprises at least one of a size of each portion ofthe content, a content type, a content source, a minimum networkdownload speed, a minimum network download speed for a type of content,a minimum communication resource utilization availability, a securityclassification of each portion of the content, a minimum networksecurity level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and an accountdownload cost limitation.
 5. A system, comprising: a communicationmodule; and a processor programmed to: receive, via the communicationmodule over a first network connection, a request for content from aclient device, where the content comprises a plurality of portionsrepresented within a root document and individual portions of thecontent within the root document are configurable with assigned downloadconstraints that specify network characteristics under which theindividual portions of the content are downloadable; determine to deferat least one portion of the content for download via a networkconnection other than the first network connection based upon a networkcharacteristic of the first network connection not satisfying aconfigured download constraint assigned to the at least one portion ofthe content, comprising being programmed to: compare the configureddownload constraint assigned to the at least one portion of the contentto the network characteristic of the first network connection; anddetermine that the configured download constraint identifies a networkdownload characteristic greater than the network characteristic of thefirst network connection; and send the root document with each deferredportion of the content replaced with a content stub within the rootdocument, where the content stub comprises an extensible markup language(XML) fragment and the processor is programmed to copy the XML fragmentinto a location of the deferred portion of the content within the rootdocument; where each content stub identifies the respective deferredportion of the content as a deferred content portion and comprises adeferred content portion identifier of the respective deferred contentportion; and where at least one content stub further comprises theconfigured download constraint of the respective deferred portion of thecontent.
 6. The system of claim 5, where the processor is furtherprogrammed to: receive a request for at least one deferred portion ofthe content from the client device via a second network connection;determine that a network characteristic of the second network connectionis at least equivalent to the configured download constraint assigned tothe at least one deferred portion of the content; and send the at leastone deferred portion of the content to the client device via the secondnetwork connection.
 7. The system of claim 5, where the processor isfurther programmed to: detect a change of network connection with theclient device from the first network connection to a second networkconnection; determine that a network characteristic of the secondnetwork connection is at least equivalent to the configured downloadconstraint assigned to the at least one deferred portion of the content;and send the at least one deferred portion of the content to the clientdevice via the second network connection.
 8. A computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage device including computerreadable program code, where the computer readable program code whenexecuted on a computer causes the computer to: receive, via a firstnetwork connection, a request for content from a client device, wherethe content comprises a plurality of portions represented within a rootdocument and individual portions of the content within the root documentare configurable with assigned download constraints that specify networkcharacteristics under which the individual portions of the content aredownloadable; determine to defer at least one portion of the content fordownload via a network connection other than the first networkconnection based upon a network characteristic of the first networkconnection not satisfying a configured download constraint assigned tothe at least one portion of the content, comprising causing the computerto: compare the configured download constraint assigned to the at leastone portion of the content to the network characteristic of the firstnetwork connection; and determine that the configured downloadconstraint identifies a network download characteristic greater than thenetwork characteristic of the first network connection; and send theroot document with each deferred portion of the content replaced with acontent stub within the root document, where the content stub comprisesan extensible markup language (XML) fragment and the computer readableprogram code when executed on the computer causes the computer to copythe XML fragment into a location of the deferred portion of the contentwithin the root document; where each content stub identifies therespective deferred portion of the content as a deferred content portionand comprises a deferred content portion identifier of the respectivedeferred content portion; and where at least one content stub furthercomprises the configured download constraint of the respective deferredportion of the content.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8,where the computer readable program code when executed on the computerfurther causes the computer to: receive a request for at least onedeferred portion of the content from the client device via a secondnetwork connection; determine that a network characteristic of thesecond network connection is at least equivalent to the configureddownload constraint assigned to the at least one deferred portion of thecontent; and send the at least one deferred portion of the content tothe client device via the second network connection.
 10. The computerprogram product of claim 8, where the computer readable program codewhen executed on the computer further causes the computer to: detect achange of network connection with the client device from the firstnetwork connection to a second network connection; determine that anetwork characteristic of the second network connection is at leastequivalent to the configured download constraint assigned to the atleast one deferred portion of the content; and send the at least onedeferred portion of the content to the client device via the secondnetwork connection.
 11. The system of claim 5, where the configureddownload constraint comprises at least one of a size of each portion ofthe content, a content type, a content source, a minimum networkdownload speed, a minimum network download speed for a type of content,a minimum communication resource utilization availability, a securityclassification of each portion of the content, a minimum networksecurity level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and an accountdownload cost limitation.
 12. The computer program product of claim 8,where the configured download constraint comprises at least one of asize of each portion of the content, a content type, a content source, aminimum network download speed, a minimum network download speed for atype of content, a minimum communication resource utilizationavailability, a security classification of each portion of the content,a minimum network security level, an account download bandwidthlimitation, and an account download cost limitation.
 13. A method,comprising: receiving, at a content server via a first networkconnection, a request for content from a client device, where thecontent comprises a plurality of portions represented within a rootdocument and individual portions of the content within the root documentare configurable with assigned download constraints that specify networkcharacteristics under which the individual portions of the content aredownloadable; determining to defer at least one portion of the contentfor download via a network connection other than the first networkconnection based upon a network characteristic of the first networkconnection not satisfying a configured download constraint assigned tothe at least one portion of the content; sending the root document witheach deferred portion of the content replaced with a content stub withinthe root document, where each content stub identifies the respectivedeferred portion of the content as a deferred content portion andcomprises a deferred content portion identifier of the respectivedeferred content portion; at least one of: receiving a request for atleast one deferred portion of the content from the client device via asecond network connection; and detecting a change of network connectionwith the client device from the first network connection to a secondnetwork connection; and further comprising: determining that a networkcharacteristic of the second network connection is at least equivalentto the configured download constraint assigned to the at least onedeferred portion of the content; and sending the at least one deferredportion of the content to the client device via the second networkconnection.
 14. The method of claim 13, where determining to defer theat least one portion of the content for download via the networkconnection other than the first network connection based upon thenetwork characteristic of the first network connection not satisfyingthe configured download constraint assigned to the at least one portionof the content comprises: comparing the configured download constraintassigned to the at least one portion of the content to the networkcharacteristic of the first network connection; and determining that theconfigured download constraint identifies a network downloadcharacteristic greater than the network characteristic of the firstnetwork connection.
 15. The method of claim 13, where the content stubcomprises an extensible markup language (XML) fragment and furthercomprising copying the XML fragment into a location of the deferredportion of the content within the root document.
 16. The method of claim13, where at least one content stub further comprises the configureddownload constraint of the respective deferred portion of the content.17. The method of claim 13, where the configured download constraintcomprises at least one of a size of each portion of the content, acontent type, a content source, a minimum network download speed, aminimum network download speed for a type of content, a minimumcommunication resource utilization availability, a securityclassification of each portion of the content, a minimum networksecurity level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and an accountdownload cost limitation.
 18. A system, comprising: a communicationmodule; and a processor programmed to: receive, via the communicationmodule over a first network connection, a request for content from aclient device, where the content comprises a plurality of portionsrepresented within a root document and individual portions of thecontent within the root document are configurable with assigned downloadconstraints that specify network characteristics under which theindividual portions of the content are downloadable; determine to deferat least one portion of the content for download via a networkconnection other than the first network connection based upon a networkcharacteristic of the first network connection not satisfying aconfigured download constraint assigned to the at least one portion ofthe content; send the root document with each deferred portion of thecontent replaced with a content stub within the root document, whereeach content stub identifies the respective deferred portion of thecontent as a deferred content portion and comprises a deferred contentportion identifier of the respective deferred content portion; at leastone of: receive a request for at least one deferred portion of thecontent from the client device via a second network connection; anddetect a change of network connection with the client device from thefirst network connection to a second network connection; and theprocessor is further programmed to: determine that a networkcharacteristic of the second network connection is at least equivalentto the configured download constraint assigned to the at least onedeferred portion of the content; and send the at least one deferredportion of the content to the client device via the second networkconnection.
 19. The system of claim 18, where, in being programmed todetermine to defer the at least one portion of the content for downloadvia the network connection other than the first network connection basedupon the network characteristic of the first network connection notsatisfying the configured download constraint assigned to the at leastone portion of the content, the processor is programmed to: compare theconfigured download constraint assigned to the at least one portion ofthe content to the network characteristic of the first networkconnection; and determine that the configured download constraintidentifies a network download characteristic greater than the networkcharacteristic of the first network connection.
 20. The system of claim18, where the content stub comprises an extensible markup language (XML)fragment and the processor is programmed to copy the XML fragment into alocation of the deferred portion of the content within the rootdocument.
 21. The system of claim 18, where at least one content stubfurther comprises the configured download constraint of the respectivedeferred portion of the content.
 22. The system of claim 18, where theconfigured download constraint comprises at least one of a size of eachportion of the content, a content type, a content source, a minimumnetwork download speed, a minimum network download speed for a type ofcontent, a minimum communication resource utilization availability, asecurity classification of each portion of the content, a minimumnetwork security level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and anaccount download cost limitation.
 23. A computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage device including computerreadable program code, where the computer readable program code whenexecuted on a computer causes the computer to: receive, via a firstnetwork connection, a request for content from a client device, wherethe content comprises a plurality of portions represented within a rootdocument and individual portions of the content within the root documentare configurable with assigned download constraints that specify networkcharacteristics under which the individual portions of the content aredownloadable; determine to defer at least one portion of the content fordownload via a network connection other than the first networkconnection based upon a network characteristic of the first networkconnection not satisfying a configured download constraint assigned tothe at least one portion of the content; send the root document witheach deferred portion of the content replaced with a content stub withinthe root document, where each content stub identifies the respectivedeferred portion of the content as a deferred content portion andcomprises a deferred content portion identifier of the respectivedeferred content portion; at least one of: receive a request for atleast one deferred portion of the content from the client device via asecond network connection; and detect a change of network connectionwith the client device from the first network connection to a secondnetwork connection; and the computer readable program code when executedon the computer further causes the computer to: determine that a networkcharacteristic of the second network connection is at least equivalentto the configured download constraint assigned to the at least onedeferred portion of the content; and send the at least one deferredportion of the content to the client device via the second networkconnection.
 24. The computer program product of claim 23, where, incausing the computer to determine to defer the at least one portion ofthe content for download via the network connection other than the firstnetwork connection based upon the network characteristic of the firstnetwork connection not satisfying the configured download constraintassigned to the at least one portion of the content, the computerreadable program code when executed on the computer causes the computerto: compare the configured download constraint assigned to the at leastone portion of the content to the network characteristic of the firstnetwork connection; and determine that the configured downloadconstraint identifies a network download characteristic greater than thenetwork characteristic of the first network connection.
 25. The computerprogram product of claim 23, where the content stub comprises anextensible markup language (XML) fragment and the computer readableprogram code when executed on the computer further causes the computerto copy the XML fragment into a location of the deferred portion of thecontent within the root document.
 26. The computer program product ofclaim 23, where at least one content stub further comprises theconfigured download constraint of the respective deferred portion of thecontent.
 27. The computer program product of claim 23, where theconfigured download constraint comprises at least one of a size of eachportion of the content, a content type, a content source, a minimumnetwork download speed, a minimum network download speed for a type ofcontent, a minimum communication resource utilization availability, asecurity classification of each portion of the content, a minimumnetwork security level, an account download bandwidth limitation, and anaccount download cost limitation.